This invention concerns so called “spinners” for bicycle wheels. Such spinners are ornamental propeller like blades projecting from an inner ring attached to a spinner hub mounted on an existing hub of a bicycle wheel. The spinner may be mounted to rotate with the bicycle wheel or to rotate independently thereof.
It is advantageous to be able to quickly install a spinner without disassembling the bicycle hub as to be able to conveniently install spinners of different appearances.
It has heretofore been proposed to segment the spinner hub so as to allow assembly onto the bicycle hub, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,628,417 and 7,086,706. The '417 patent shows a complex hub configuration involving end caps and radial bearings which must be installed to retain the spinner, and are time consuming to install.
If a series of spinners are to be installed and changed over at short intervals, there is a need to allow a quick change thereof. U.S. Pat. No. 7,086,706 features a loose fitting spinner hub which is driven by a connection to a wheel spoke. Such loose fit causes impacts with the spokes and could damage or destroy the spinner and spokes. Free spinning would be problematic.
Another feature which would be desirable in such spinner installation is to quickly and easily change the drive to the spinner, i.e. from a fixed relationship with the bicycle wheel hub to one in which relative rotation is possible to create different visual effects produced by spinner rotation.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a spinner mounting which allows ready removal of a spinner and replacement with another of the spinner.
It is a further object of the invention to enable a ready varying relationship of the movement of the spinner with that of the bicycle hub.